Pro loses feet after contracting meningitis on tour

A fundraising campaign has been launched to help cover the treatment costs of an Alps Tour golfer who faces a long road to recovery after contracting bacterial meningitis while competing in Egypt.

Issa Nlareb A Amang, 27, fell ill with the life-threatening disease during the Ein Bay Open in February and, after withdrawing from the tournament, he went into septic shock and was rushed to hospital in Suez.

Thanks to Egyptian doctors, he was saved him from death but the treatment for the septicaemia led to other severe problems, including the partial loss of his extremities.

After three weeks in Egypt, the father-of-one from Cameroon was repatriated to his home country and spent time in the General Hospital of Yaoundé.

Following a lack of improvement in his condition and with the infection worsening, a decision was taken to move him to Hospital Saint-Luc in Brussels, where his feet and hands could be partially amputated and prosthetics could be set.

But following a series of operations by some of Belgium's leading orthopedic surgeons, both of Amang’s feet were removed, while three fingers on his right hand were amputated – and just his thumb remains on his left hand.

Amang, a member of the Alps Tour - the rung below the Challenge Tour - for the past two years and also a winner on the West Africa Golf Tour, has been told by doctors he may walk again but they can't confirm the use of his hands and his ability to grip a golf club again. It is too early.

With his medical costs mounting and just with the support of his godmother, Amang does not know how he will pay his medical bills, which are set to total tens of thousands of euros.

“The situation is really hard,” said Estelle Richard, chief executive and operations director of the Alps Tour. “In Egypt, he was covered by travel insurance, fortunately, and the insurance paid for everything, including his repatriation to Cameroon.

“In Cameroon, the national federation and the golf club of Yaoundé and some friends helped him financially but now, as he had been transferred to Hospital Saint-Luc in Brussels where they have the best orthopedic services in Belgium, the situation is very difficult as he has no insurance.

“For the moment, his godmother made advance payments from her personal account and savings. She has spent all her savings to help Issa but she won’t be able to pay for the full amount, which could be as high as €100,000.

“We know that Issa will try everything to play again. He is very strong mentally and I can say that when I saw him in Egypt, where I was in charge of the tournament, he fought with all his strength to survive the septic shock.”